2013 Hurricane Guide Photos

In general, the more intense the storm, and the closer a community is to the right-front quadrant, the larger the area that must be evacuated. The problem is always the uncertainty about how intense the storm will be when it finally makes landfall. Emergency managers and local officials balance that uncertainty with the human and economic risks to their community. This is why a rule of thumb for emergency managers is to plan for a storm one category higher than what is forecast. This is a reasonable precaution to help minimize the loss of life from hurricanes. Wave and current action associated with the tide also causes extensive damage. Water weighs approximately 1,700 pounds per cubic yard; extended pounding by frequent waves can demolish any structure not specifically designed to withstand such forces. The currents created by the tide combine with the action of the waves to severely erode beaches and coastal highways. Many buildings withstand hurricane force winds until their foundations, undermined by erosion, are weakened and fail. In estuaries and bayous, intrusions of salt water endanger the public health and send animals, such as snakes, to flee from flooded areas and take refuge in urban areas.

Eduardo Castillo helps Cheryl Arreola of Fort Myers move things from her car into Germain Arena in Estero as Hurricane Charley comes ashore Friday afternoon (August 13). Germain Arena is the largest hurricane shelter in Lee County with more than 2,000 seeking shelter from Hurricane Charley. David Ahntholz/Staff

Ben and Marie of Thibobeau make their way into the special needs shelter at Palmetto Ridge High School Friday afternoon to pick out a bed and wait out Hurricane Dennis which is expected to cruise by Naples on Saturday. It's the first hurricane for the Thibobeaus who moved to Naples this year. Michel Fortier/Staff

Emergency response workers from around Lee County met at the Lee County Emergency Operating Center for a hurricane preparedness and coordination meeting Wednesday. Michel Fortier/Staff

Russ Woodilla, left, hands Rudolf Karnuni a hammer to adjust one of the bolts on the hurricane screening they are installing to protect the lobby of the Cove Inn near the Naples City Dock Monday morning. The Cove Inn employees were preparing for Tropical Storm Fay which is expected to make landfall in Southwest Florida sometime Tuesday morning. Erik Kellar/Staff

ctycap :colevac Ralph Texcell, 94, asks Phyllis Chambers, a registered nurse, for a cup a coffee while staying at Barron Collier High School. The high school was set up to shelter those with special needs while Hurricane Charley comes over Southwest Florida. Justin L. Fowler/Naples Daily News

An Isle of Capri home, one of many, received extensive damage along with the homeowner's boat after Hurricane Wilma swept through Southwest Florida early Monday morning. Michel Fortier/Staff

Emergency response workers from around Lee County including Bill Floyd, left, and Werner Duswald, right, met at the Lee County Emergency Operating Center for a hurricane preparedness and coordination meeting Wednesday. Michel Fortier/Staff

A few businesses along Fort Myers Beach, including the Lani Kai were preparing for Tropical Storm Fay which is expected to reach hurricane strength by the time it makes landfall somewhere near Fort Myers Tuesday morning. Michel Fortier/Staff

10/25/05-Pool cages and boats seemed to show the brunt of the damage, despite Marco Island being in Hurricane Wilma's bullseye. A majority of the buildings showed little structural damage from the air. Michel Fortier/Staff

Walt Tiburski, left, walks though what reamins of his freinds, Dick Jaklitch, right, pool enclosure in Bonita Shores Wednesday. Jaklitch stayed in his house with his mother, Hazel, 86, and rode out Hurricane Wilma. "This was the worst of the damage," said Jaklitch. Erik Kellar/Staff

Mark Brouilletta, right, tries to sleep as Cheri Lee spends time with her special needs dog "Snuggles," inside the Red Cross Shelter at the Bonita Springs Recreational Center on Tuesday. Lee, who suffers from Mutiple Sclerosis, has been in the shelter since it opened two weeks ago. She was previously living in her car in Cape Coral before Hurricane Wilma struck Southwest Florida, and is unsure of where she will go next since she isn't eligible for hurricane assistance since she is considered displaced and not a hurricane victim. Lexey Swall/Staff

People fill the floor of Germain Arena in Estero, as they seek shelter from Hurricane Charley Friday (August 13). New federal guidelines could keep Lee County from opening German Arena as a shelter in future weather events. David Ahntholz/Staff

National Guardsman Sgt. Ryan Atkinson signals a Hurricane Wilma survivor indicating two cases of water Tuesday at a makeshift relief point in an East Naples parking lot where thousands arrived after a television station falsely reported the location as a source of relief aid. Michel Fortier/Staff

Jacob Daffin, 9, right, chases friend Mitchell Blankenship, 13, out the door of neighbor Frank Wellman's living room in Plantation Island, just south of Everglades City in Collier County on Wednesday October 26, 2005. The roof over Wellmans porch and living room was stripped off as Hurricane Wilma passed through Southwest Florida. Garrett Hubbard/Naples Daily News

The Smith family of Bonita Sprinngs watches as workers from M. Davis Maintenence Inc. remove the 70-year-old Live Oak tree from their backyard that was felled by Hurricane Wilma and damaged three properties. Jeremy Lyverse/Staff

Plantation Key resident Clayton Whitehouse fights the gusts of wind from the feeder bands of Hurricane Rita as he surveys damage to his property on Tuesday afternoon. "It was nice this morning," exclaimed Whitehouse, "I didn't think it was going to hit us at all, but I think we got the worst of it." Jason Easterly/Staff

10/25/05-Even with storm shutters in place, wind damage from Hurricane Wilma is evident in this North Gordon Drive condominium building in Naples Tuesday, the day after Hurricane Wilma slammed into Southwest Florida. Michel Fortier/Staff

Hurricane Charley is seen over Cuba in this NOAA satellite image taken on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004. Nearly a million residents and tourists were told Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004, to get out of the way of a rapidly strengthening Hurricane Charley, while its weaker sister, Tropical Storm Bonnie, blustered ashore in the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/NOAA)

Lucylle (cq) Bidelman of Naples works on crossword puzzles at the special needs hurricane shelter at Palmetto Ridge High School Saturday afternoon (July 9). David Ahntholz/Staff

Volunteers Jim Meyers, left, and Jaciel Diaz, right, throw out the old tar paper off of a roof severely damaged by Hurricane Charley over a year ago during operation "One Body, One Spirit" Saturday in Arcadia . Michel Fortier/Staff

Brett Baldwin, left, and William Lawrence, right, work on finding the correct plug for a generator at The Home Depot while preparing for tropical storm Fay on August 16, 2008. Fay, which could be a category one hurricane by Monday is projected to hit Naples on Tuesday morning. Greg Kahn/Staff

Bert Dekker puts up storm shutters on the windows of his home in Bonita Springs on Monday afternoon just in case Hurricane Ike changes paths and comes toward Southwest Florida. "I don't think it's going to come here, but it is such an active (hurricane) season, we decided to by the stuff and do a test run," said Dekker. Lexey Swall-Bobay/Staff

Naples resident Lari McAlonis installs her strom shutters in preperation of Hurriicane Fay's damaging winds. McAlonis said she rode out Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and was glad she put up her shutters then. Donn Brown/Staff

Johnathan Perez, 2, looks out the murky glass of his mobil home Sunday at Pink Citrus mobil village on Pine Island. The lack of resources immediately after Hurricane Charley led to a public outcry for help with supplies such as generators pouring into the community. Michel Fortier/Staff

A crew from Advanced Roofing out of Ft. Myers was one of two volunteer groups to help needy homeowners who otherwise would not be able to fix damaged roofs due to Hurricane Charley. Michel Fortier/Staff